Hydrodynamic Properties Characterized by Two-Dimensional Hydraulic Simulation

Abstract

This chapter describes the hydrodynamic characteristics of Tonle Sap Lake (TSL), primarily based on the 2D-LIE model presented in the previous chapter. This approach allows us to evaluate the inundation area, water volume, and depth distribution of the whole lake at every 500 m at a daily or longer time step. The minimum inundation area and water volume appear to be approximately 2200 km² and 2.5 km³, respectively, and the average depth is less than 2.0 m. The area and volume reach the peaks of approximately 15,000 km² and 85 km³, respectively, in October. On average, the annual inflow into the lake is around 83 km³, and the hydraulic retention time is relatively 4 months and 7 days. The retention time of TSL is considerably short compared to that of many other shallow lakes probably affected by the large inflow during the rainy season and outflow during the dry season and distinct seasonal variation in its water volume.